The 18th BRICS Summit was held in New Delhi, India, from 12 to 13 September 2026, under India’s chairship. The summit brought together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries, alongside invited leaders. The theme was “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability. BRICS is an intergovernmental grouping that brings together major emerging economies. Its expanded membership includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
A post circulating on X claims that all BRICS leaders were killed after eating local Indian food during the BRICS Summit in India. The post, shared on September 16, 2026, from an account with the username Golden Boy , carried the headline: “BRICS leaders all killed by local food after big meeting in India.” It also shared separate posts alleging that Chinese President Xi Jinping had fainted and that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had fallen ill after the summit.
Verification of the claim shows that it conflates one confirmed report of illness with a much broader, unsupported claim that BRICS leaders were poisoned or killed after eating food at the summit. The first point to establish is the case of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. On September 16, 2026, the South African Presidency publicly confirmed that Ramaphosa had been booked off from public engagements because of ill health.
The South African Presidency did not identify the illness, say that he had suffered food poisoning, or link his condition to anything he ate in India. Records from the South African government show that Ramaphosa remained active after returning from India. Government records list statements and engagements involving him on 14 and 15 September, including his participation in the Africa Green Hydrogen Summit , before the Presidency announced that he had been booked off from public engagements.
Chinese official records show that Xi completed his participation in the summit and returned to Beijing on September 13, 2026. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published an official account of his return the following day. There is no official record in the material reviewed showing that Xi died, suffered food poisoning or was secretly evacuated from India for emergency treatment.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ fact-checking unit warned against social-media posts claiming that several leaders had fallen ill after attending the summit. The posts linked Ramaphosa and Xi to alleged food poisoning. The ministry described the claims as misleading and cautioned users against amplifying them.
Most importantly, there is no credible evidence that all, or even several, BRICS leaders died after eating food at the summit. A claim involving the deaths of multiple serving heads of state would ordinarily generate extensive official announcements and independent reporting across the countries concerned. Instead, the available official records document leaders completing the summit, departing India and continuing with their respective public duties.
Key points
- The claim that BRICS leaders were killed after eating food at the summit was false and misleading.
- The Indian Ministry of External Affairs fact-checked and debunked the claim, stating that no breakfast was served to world leaders at the summit venue.
- Official records from countries show that leaders who attended the summit continued to appear in official records after the event, contradicting the claim of their deaths.
